The present invention is directed to a system for supporting an additional communication cable on a support pole such as a utility pole, which serves to support existing communications cables. In greater particularity, the present invention is directed toward a system for supporting a third cable of the same type as presently supported for use in the cable television industry without utilizing any additional poles or space on existing poles.
With the advent of cable TV systems came a multiplicity of additional cabling requirements to provide service to the customers. As is evident on many residential and commercial streets, an infrastructure of utility poles and cables already exist to supply power and telephone service. The cable TV industry has in many instances been able to utilize the existing poles to support their cables. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,884 it was noted that in many communities it is standard practice to require a neutral zone of 40 inches between the power cable zone and the communications cable zone. It was also noted that minimum height requirements come into effect in such areas. It is also noted that certain entities restrict the ability of the cable TV system to drill additional holes for mounting hardware to the existing pole, thereby eliminating the possibility of adding additional hardware to the pole directly. The inventors in the '884 patent solved the problem of adding a communications cable in addition to the phone lines by the development of a specialized bracket. The '884 bracket extended outwardly and downwardly from the mounting hardware for the telecommunications cables. During the ensuing decade from the introduction of the '884 bracket, the bracket has been widely used, however, the explosion in communications via cable has far outstripped the capacity of the communications cable in many areas therefore necessitating the use of an auxiliary cable. Unfortunately, there is no place to put the auxiliary cable in the existing system. All of the problems facing the '884 inventors have been intensified, yet the cable must go up.